Nyon, a City Worth Savoring

"Nyon, a City to Savor" transforms public spaces into forest gardens or fruit hedgerows, inspired by dense and diverse forest ecosystems, to produce fruit, berries, and nuts locally, cool the city, and strengthen social cohesion—a 100% participatory project aligned with municipal policies and led by Jardin-Forêt Suisse in partnership with the City of Nyon and its residents.

Over two years, plant 10 edible mini-ecosystems across a total of 1,000 square meters of public space, with the help of residents and in coordination with the City of Nyon.

This project, led by Jardin-Forêt Suisse, aims to transform suitable public spaces—in coordination with the City of Nyon—into forest gardens (edible forests) or fruit hedges, inspired by natural forest ecosystems. The goal is to create multi-layered food-producing ecosystems (canopy trees, understory trees, shrubs, bushes, vines) composed of diverse species adapted to current and future climates. These regenerative, resilient, and biodiversity-friendly food ecosystems offer the benefits of locally producing fruits, nuts, perennial vegetables, and more; cooling the city during extreme heat waves; and strengthening social cohesion. This project aims to transform Nyon into a “City to Savor,” initially taking on an educational dimension: encouraging residents to discover the uses of numerous edible plant species, and secondly, in the medium term, once residents have embraced these spaces and replicated them at home or elsewhere, the forest gardens will transform the urban space into a nourishing, resilient, and vibrant landscape. This project mobilizes residents around concrete solutions to address climate, food, and social challenges, while enhancing biodiversity and fostering a sense of community.

Species
Selection The species planted will be chosen from a mix of local species such as apple, pear, and plum trees, dogwoods, etc., and various non-native species better adapted to climate change (climate-adapted species), such as mulberry (Morus), fig, pomegranate, guava, hardy citrus, olive, and almond trees, etc. Planting will be carried out with the local community and schools. To ensure the quality of the seedlings, we will work with a variety of producers and specialized nurseries (edible plants, plants adapted to the Swiss climate). The local community may also be invited to contribute by providing cuttings, seedlings, grafts, seeds, etc.

The implementation plan is as follows:

• Inventory and identification of selected sites in collaboration with the City of Nyon.

• Design and ordering of plants.

• Participatory planting and sowing between fall and spring, with support from the City of Nyon, if possible, for soil amendment and mulching.

• Participatory watering (organized by zones or modules) during the summer, with support from the City of Nyon, if possible, for watering.

Guiding principles:

• To avoid working on too small a scale at the outset—and thus requiring a greater weeding effort—the plan is to purchase plants taller than approximately 80 cm, and groundcover plants will not be planted at this stage (allowing for natural growth).

• Larger trees will be planted either as pre-formed standard trees (for rapid production) or as young seedlings (to facilitate establishment).

• Spontaneously growing plants will be identified as they appear and selected as necessary.

• Maintenance will include watering, replenishing mulch, marking naturally occurring plants, and mowing or pulling up herbaceous plants as needed. It will be organized by Jardin-Forêt Suisse during the first two years of the project, then taken over by the City of Nyon and the residents.

We estimate planting the equivalent of 10 modules of approximately 100 m² each, for a total of about 1,000 m². Each module will be surrounded by a 60-cm-high wooden fence to clearly demarcate the planting areas and protect them from trampling or dogs until the vegetation becomes established.

The project meets all the criteria of the call for proposals, including:

• It is consistent with municipal policies (Climate and Energy Plan, greening, social cohesion, food sovereignty).

• It promotes community spirit, resource sharing, and the social and solidarity economy.

• It serves the public interest (free and open access for everyone).

• It is based on participatory approaches (collaborative planning with the City, workshops open to the public and schools).

• It is led by a local association (Jardin-Forêt Suisse, based in Coppet, a member of the Nyon Region).

• It is sponsored by more than 50 residents of Nyon.

• It meets sustainability criteria (environmental, social, and economic).

Preliminary schedule:

• Early fall 2026: inventory of areas and selection of sites with the City of Nyon, selection of species and varieties, and ordering of the first seedlings and seeds.

• Spring 2027: Orders and planting/sowing.

• Summer 2027: Watering the young plants.

• Fall 2027: ordering and additional planting/sowing.

• Spring 2028: Ordering and planting additional seedlings.

• Summer 2028: Watering of young plants.

• Fall 2028: Orders and planting of mature plants.

Communication:

Communication with the project team and the community is essential to ensure everyone’s support for the project and guarantee its success. We will draw on the experience gained from the Eos Forest Garden (Eysins) and Morettes Forest Garden (Prangins) projects. Communication will focus on two main areas.

Internal: establishing a coordination system with city departments and volunteers via email and/or mobile messaging groups to coordinate work and maintenance—particularly watering—without overburdening city services. Subgroups may be created by area or neighborhood.

External: Signs may be installed during the work to inform the public about the project’s objectives, the plant species being planted, and their uses. Social media will also be used for this purpose.

The best time to plant was 20 years ago; the second-best time is now!

20000

Nyon

Jardin-Forêt Suisse